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Fifth Freedom, 1981-10-10

Fifth Freedom, 1981-10-10

THE FIFTH FREEDOM A PUBLICATION FOR THE BUFFALO GAY COMMUNITY OCTOBER 1981 FREE "The Freedom to love whomever and however we want" The Gay Hotline: Who Needs It? by John A. Faulring, Jr. "I'm only 16. Where can I go to meet gay people?" "I'm a married man and I like to have sex with men, too. Is there something wrong with mc?" "I enjoy dressing in women's clothes. Where can I meet people who like the same thing?" "When is the next GP meeting?" "I am a Lesbian with 3 children. Who can I talk to about problems I have dealing with this situation?" "I'm visiting from out of town. Does Buffalo have any gay bars?" "I will be going to Las Vegas on my vacation. Do you have any listings as far as bars go for there?" This is only a very small sample of the types of questions that are received on the Gay Hotline. The variety of questions is astounding and the need is getting greater all the time. Mattachine has had the Hotline service for over 11 years now. It has survived the many moves the Society has had to make over the years. It continues to be a very important part of Buffalo's gay experience. Other Agencies Refer to Hotline Many of Buffalo's other counseling services recognize the Gay Hotline as a valid, and necessary, supplement to their list of qualified referral services. We get calls from those referred, as well as the counselors themselves. Mattachine has been approached as far as having sessions where their counselor and ours would meet in marathon sessions to help with the understanding of problems that occur in gay life. We need more trained counselors before this can be attempted on the scale needed. Such a program would greatly benefit both sides. These agencies recognize the importance of peer counseling in really helping to come to grips with our lifestyle. They also realize their own shortcomings as far as the training they receive in their education as far as dealing with homosexual clients. It is up to the gay community to provide this first hand experience for them and to follow up any cases that the agency feels need this extra effort. Not All Calls Gay Many calls that we receive are not from gays at all. We hear from many heterosexuals who have questions about their feelings, sexual problems or medical referrals. They say they don't know where to turn that they can talk about these matters; or that they have called other agencies and have gotten nowhere; and have even been referred to us by other agencies as a source of information. Many calls are for information about the gay lifestyle, too. Many of these come from parents, friends, spouses and children of gays. These people want to learn more about their loved ones so they can fully understand and help them cope. Currently there are efforts to get support groups organized for al I these people. If anyone is interested in these groups, write Jack c/o of the paper. These would be very helpful to the many callers we have that are seeking this type of group. YD Information A large percentage of our calls are for medical information. Many people want to find a "gay doctor" that they can feel confortable going to. At the present time we have no list to refer from. However, in responseresponse to YD cases, we are able to send people to the Erie County YD Clinic"in the Rath Building. The clinic has been very helpful and understanding with gays referred to them. There are many misconceptions associated with the various types of YD and it is best to go to a place that specializes in their treatment. The best part of sending people to the clinic are that it is free and confidential. Even minors can be sent there without their parents being nofified. Most physicians that are approached with the idea of gay referrals, especially those who are gay, are rather hesitant to be put on any type of list. Many say that they would not discriminate against a patient just becasue they are gay. However, that chance is still there. Many people would just like to have the freedom to be completely honest with their doctor, so they can get the best results from their treatment. Hopefully, soon, we will be able to give such referrals. Group Information The Hotline gets calls asking about women's groups, GP, the baths and all related gay activities. With there not being any other number to call for many of these groups, we become a clearing sevice for information for all the functions that may be going on. This is why we need to hear from all the Lesbian and gay groups that are in Buffalo. We have people who are looking for you and want to help them find you. Many of these calls come from very young people that want to meet gays. They feel they are gay or just might be. They know they can't go to the bars and wonder if there are ever other activities they could attend. There are more and more opportunities that are given to them by non-bar type activities, but there needs to be more chances to see what gay life is all about. Many callers ask for types of groups that are not available at the present time in Buffalo. These vary from transvestite to married men's groups to women into S&M. The list continues to grow all the time. If your group fulfills the needs of a certain group, please let us know so we can tell our callers about you. Harrassment Calls In the process of listing ourselves under "Gay Community Services Center" (center in this case and at this time meaning a focal point and not specific place), we do open ourselves up to crank calls, harrassing individuals and kids just fooling around. These are few in number, but you do have to be prepared for them. To pick up the phone and hear some of the language can be quite disturbing. These calls are really the easiest to deal with. Usually they only last a few seconds and are finished. Many of the hang-ups are not pranks, though. We find that many of these are genuine calls from someone who may be in the process of coming out. They want and need to reach out to someone so badly that when they finally do hear a voice at the other end of the line, they are terrified, can't talk to us and hang up. Many times they will call back later and relate that this happened. This may go on for a long period of time before they are finally able to talk to us. We get calls from people wanting to talk to us while they masturbate. This has to be one of the most difficult calls to handle. You can feel the need of the person, not just for sexual release, but the deeper need for human companionship and closeness. Book Review The Boy Who Picked the Bullets Up: ay Novel Of The Viet Nam War Era by John A. Faulring, Jr THE BOY WHO PICKED THE BULLETS UP by Charles Nelson (William Morrow & Company, 105 Madison Aye., New York, NY 10016. Hardcover $13.95.) The cover of this book is almost enough to let anyone "in the know" know that this is a gay novel. It consists of a rear shot of a kahaki military uniform with a light blue, or is it robin's egg blue (?), handkerchief in the left back pocket. In the right one is a stethoscope. This is a new one in the code book. (See the reproduction of the cover that accompanies this review.) What the codes really mean is that this is the story of a young gay medic that takes place in Viet Nam. It really means more than the surface signs, though. The "boy" in the title may start out that way, but by the end of the book he is more man than most could ever hope to be . . . straight or gay. His name is Kurt and he is described as being 63" tall and weighing 200 lbs., but he is a much bigger character than that. The book takes the form of letters to home from "over there," and what they reveal is quite captivating. There are four people that receive letters from Kurt, or should I say four Kurt's. Those involved are his grandmother, who is really a together i old lady; Arch, his former baseball farm teammate; a straight girlfriend; and Paul, I his closest gay friend. Each of them gets a letter from a different facet of Kurt that the others never get to see. The reader gets to hear about the same event from four, sometimes less, different viewpoints. Sometimes it gets difficult to tell if they are indeed the same event or not. We never get to see or read any of the letters from the four correspondents, just Kurt's replies. However, through his responses we get to know all of his family that he left behind and wentto fight in Viet Nam to protect. Once you get to know something about them, you wonder why he bothered.The idea that he is gay is definitely not the main story line here. Of course, it does surface in many instances where it can add an air of excitement to the war scene, but what it is really all about is just managing to survive out of your own element. There are descriptions of his fellow corpsmen and their equipment. He describes how he feels toward them, but never labors on that theme. After all there is a war to be fought. But remember the old saying, "An army travels on its stomach." Kurt manages to take some very nice trips while the war goes on. . , _ The Boy Who Caught The Bullets Up is a fascinating look at a "man's war," and what goes on during the times the TV cameras aren't rolling to show the folks back home what's really happening. Continued on page 5 Continued on page 4

There are no known copyright issues associated with the Fifth Freedom newspapers.

Transcript

THE FIFTH FREEDOM A PUBLICATION FOR THE BUFFALO GAY COMMUNITY OCTOBER 1981 FREE "The Freedom to love whomever and however we want" The Gay Hotline: Who Needs It? by John A. Faulring, Jr. "I'm only 16. Where can I go to meet gay people?" "I'm a married man and I like to have sex with men, too. Is there something wrong with mc?" "I enjoy dressing in women's clothes. Where can I meet people who like the same thing?" "When is the next GP meeting?" "I am a Lesbian with 3 children. Who can I talk to about problems I have dealing with this situation?" "I'm visiting from out of town. Does Buffalo have any gay bars?" "I will be going to Las Vegas on my vacation. Do you have any listings as far as bars go for there?" This is only a very small sample of the types of questions that are received on the Gay Hotline. The variety of questions is astounding and the need is getting greater all the time. Mattachine has had the Hotline service for over 11 years now. It has survived the many moves the Society has had to make over the years. It continues to be a very important part of Buffalo's gay experience. Other Agencies Refer to Hotline Many of Buffalo's other counseling services recognize the Gay Hotline as a valid, and necessary, supplement to their list of qualified referral services. We get calls from those referred, as well as the counselors themselves. Mattachine has been approached as far as having sessions where their counselor and ours would meet in marathon sessions to help with the understanding of problems that occur in gay life. We need more trained counselors before this can be attempted on the scale needed. Such a program would greatly benefit both sides. These agencies recognize the importance of peer counseling in really helping to come to grips with our lifestyle. They also realize their own shortcomings as far as the training they receive in their education as far as dealing with homosexual clients. It is up to the gay community to provide this first hand experience for them and to follow up any cases that the agency feels need this extra effort. Not All Calls Gay Many calls that we receive are not from gays at all. We hear from many heterosexuals who have questions about their feelings, sexual problems or medical referrals. They say they don't know where to turn that they can talk about these matters; or that they have called other agencies and have gotten nowhere; and have even been referred to us by other agencies as a source of information. Many calls are for information about the gay lifestyle, too. Many of these come from parents, friends, spouses and children of gays. These people want to learn more about their loved ones so they can fully understand and help them cope. Currently there are efforts to get support groups organized for al I these people. If anyone is interested in these groups, write Jack c/o of the paper. These would be very helpful to the many callers we have that are seeking this type of group. YD Information A large percentage of our calls are for medical information. Many people want to find a "gay doctor" that they can feel confortable going to. At the present time we have no list to refer from. However, in responseresponse to YD cases, we are able to send people to the Erie County YD Clinic"in the Rath Building. The clinic has been very helpful and understanding with gays referred to them. There are many misconceptions associated with the various types of YD and it is best to go to a place that specializes in their treatment. The best part of sending people to the clinic are that it is free and confidential. Even minors can be sent there without their parents being nofified. Most physicians that are approached with the idea of gay referrals, especially those who are gay, are rather hesitant to be put on any type of list. Many say that they would not discriminate against a patient just becasue they are gay. However, that chance is still there. Many people would just like to have the freedom to be completely honest with their doctor, so they can get the best results from their treatment. Hopefully, soon, we will be able to give such referrals. Group Information The Hotline gets calls asking about women's groups, GP, the baths and all related gay activities. With there not being any other number to call for many of these groups, we become a clearing sevice for information for all the functions that may be going on. This is why we need to hear from all the Lesbian and gay groups that are in Buffalo. We have people who are looking for you and want to help them find you. Many of these calls come from very young people that want to meet gays. They feel they are gay or just might be. They know they can't go to the bars and wonder if there are ever other activities they could attend. There are more and more opportunities that are given to them by non-bar type activities, but there needs to be more chances to see what gay life is all about. Many callers ask for types of groups that are not available at the present time in Buffalo. These vary from transvestite to married men's groups to women into S&M. The list continues to grow all the time. If your group fulfills the needs of a certain group, please let us know so we can tell our callers about you. Harrassment Calls In the process of listing ourselves under "Gay Community Services Center" (center in this case and at this time meaning a focal point and not specific place), we do open ourselves up to crank calls, harrassing individuals and kids just fooling around. These are few in number, but you do have to be prepared for them. To pick up the phone and hear some of the language can be quite disturbing. These calls are really the easiest to deal with. Usually they only last a few seconds and are finished. Many of the hang-ups are not pranks, though. We find that many of these are genuine calls from someone who may be in the process of coming out. They want and need to reach out to someone so badly that when they finally do hear a voice at the other end of the line, they are terrified, can't talk to us and hang up. Many times they will call back later and relate that this happened. This may go on for a long period of time before they are finally able to talk to us. We get calls from people wanting to talk to us while they masturbate. This has to be one of the most difficult calls to handle. You can feel the need of the person, not just for sexual release, but the deeper need for human companionship and closeness. Book Review The Boy Who Picked the Bullets Up: ay Novel Of The Viet Nam War Era by John A. Faulring, Jr THE BOY WHO PICKED THE BULLETS UP by Charles Nelson (William Morrow & Company, 105 Madison Aye., New York, NY 10016. Hardcover $13.95.) The cover of this book is almost enough to let anyone "in the know" know that this is a gay novel. It consists of a rear shot of a kahaki military uniform with a light blue, or is it robin's egg blue (?), handkerchief in the left back pocket. In the right one is a stethoscope. This is a new one in the code book. (See the reproduction of the cover that accompanies this review.) What the codes really mean is that this is the story of a young gay medic that takes place in Viet Nam. It really means more than the surface signs, though. The "boy" in the title may start out that way, but by the end of the book he is more man than most could ever hope to be . . . straight or gay. His name is Kurt and he is described as being 63" tall and weighing 200 lbs., but he is a much bigger character than that. The book takes the form of letters to home from "over there," and what they reveal is quite captivating. There are four people that receive letters from Kurt, or should I say four Kurt's. Those involved are his grandmother, who is really a together i old lady; Arch, his former baseball farm teammate; a straight girlfriend; and Paul, I his closest gay friend. Each of them gets a letter from a different facet of Kurt that the others never get to see. The reader gets to hear about the same event from four, sometimes less, different viewpoints. Sometimes it gets difficult to tell if they are indeed the same event or not. We never get to see or read any of the letters from the four correspondents, just Kurt's replies. However, through his responses we get to know all of his family that he left behind and wentto fight in Viet Nam to protect. Once you get to know something about them, you wonder why he bothered.The idea that he is gay is definitely not the main story line here. Of course, it does surface in many instances where it can add an air of excitement to the war scene, but what it is really all about is just managing to survive out of your own element. There are descriptions of his fellow corpsmen and their equipment. He describes how he feels toward them, but never labors on that theme. After all there is a war to be fought. But remember the old saying, "An army travels on its stomach." Kurt manages to take some very nice trips while the war goes on. . , _ The Boy Who Caught The Bullets Up is a fascinating look at a "man's war," and what goes on during the times the TV cameras aren't rolling to show the folks back home what's really happening. Continued on page 5 Continued on page 4